Another 5-5 Pot Limit Hand From Foxwoods

[Greg (FossilMan)]

Hopefully all will see what a terrible bet he made.

He's rarely going to get a better hand to fold, but he will almost certainly get every worse hand to fold. If he checks and calls, he will still lose to the better hands, but he will also catch some bluffs and make money on them. Depending upon how often you bluff vs. value bet a better hand than him, he might be best off checking and folding instead of checking and calling.

But betting all-in is clearly the worst of the three.

Later, Greg Raymer (FossilMan)

[Goodie]

I think the bet was meant as a bluff and I would have had a hard time calling with AQ, KQ, or QJ, but I may not have played those hands that way. He SAID he had a queen but didn't show and I'm inclined to believe he didn't.

Peace,
Goodie

[turnipmonster]

I don't think he had a queen either, unless he was a total fish, which he probably wasn't. nice call!

--turnipmonster

[Boris]

Would you really play a set this way? I guess if you can put the opponent on top pair with a fair amount of certainty then it's ok. In my experience you have to get your money in the pot when the opponent still has a chance, meaning on the flop or the turn.

[cero_z]

Hi Goodie,
It's easy for me to say this after seeing the results, but I suspect he was bluffing with a missed draw. Here's how I see it: He held 2 clubs. He had the Qc or 9c/ straight draw on the flop, with a backdoor flush draw. He took a stab at it, and when you popped him, he called. Then he picked up the flush draw on the turn, and again called your bet. On the river, he decided to test you. I see this a lot from a certain type of NL/PL player: the loose/aggressive type that loses primarily because they can't let go of a pot once they've committed serious money. Rather than let go in the face of your strength, he decided to gamble on the notion that you were playing a bit over your head in this game (very easy to spot this at the table), and tried to move you. His bet makes little sense with a straight or a set, as nearly all players would check-raise the turn or the river with those hands. The time you see a lead bet on the river like that is when a scary card falls. So if a K or Ace had fallen, he would be more likely to bet a set or straight into you, for fear that you'd check behind if he checked. As it was, you'd shown strength the whole way, and a blank deuce is the ideal card for him to check-raise you with, if he actually held a set.